Users have a desire to explore information available on the internet or from other sources for many purposes, including for example, to obtain a general “sense” of the information that is potentially available. However, existing search engine designs presume that users know what they are seeking and if they do not, supports browsing activities that leads users to a better understanding of what they might seek and hence back to search again. Search and browsing typically entails offering ‘hits’ to a user that they can confirm or decline as right or wrong as part of this overall process. Some techniques exist for the automatic reorganization and filtering of search results in order to allow the user to more quickly and accurately have access to information that they need.
An example of a technique which allows a user to gain a broader sense of what information is available than using just one search engine is a meta-search engine. A meta-search engine is a search tool that sends user requests to several other search engines and/or databases and aggregates the results into a single list or displays them according to their source. Meta-search engines enable users to enter search criteria once and access several search engines simultaneously. Meta-search engines operate on the premise that more comprehensive search results can be obtained by combining the results from several search engines. This also may save the user from having to use multiple search engines separately. However, users may not wish to access a specific result but may wish to gain a general sense of what information is available.
Searching and browsing are not the only activities that users might want to undertake when they engage with web content. They may not wish to be presented with hits before they have a developed sense of what may be available and may find that they need assistance in their information exploration without wanting to commit to a target for selection. Users need tools to make their understanding of web content richer and more creative. They may also wish to gather some of the content they find and use it in more orthodox search activities.
The examples described below are not limited to implementations which solve any or all of the disadvantages of known information exploration systems.